Science & storytelling

This module focuses on the art and science of storytelling across a range of cultural forms, formats and methods to explore the crucial considerations to digital storytelling strategies for communicating science. Using examples drawn across a range of formats, you will develop an understanding of narrative techniques, tools and ethical perspectives to apply to a factual or fictional context.

Lectures and seminars may cover:

Storytellers in Science: From Hollywood to The Digital Age

Interactive Science Stories and Story Worlds

Citizen Journalism and Digital Media

From Science Fiction Prototyping to Critical Race Theory and Afrofuturism

Marketing and Communications and Science

Narrative Ethics as a Science Communication Method

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Students will produce a digital portfolio of storytelling factual or fictional pieces across the module, developing their voice, authenticity and audience engagement alongside a critical reflection on their process of development, discovery, and refinement of their practice.

Gorke, A. and G. Ruhrmann (2003). "Public communication between facts and fictions: on the construction of genetic risk." Public Understanding of Science 12: 229-241.

Kirby, D. (2010) The Future is Now: Diegetic Prototypes and the Role of Popular Films in Generating Real-world Technological Development. Social Studies of Science. Sage Publications

Liakopoulos, M. (2002). "Pandora's Box or panacea? Using metaphors to create the public representations of biotechnology." Public Understanding of Science 11: 5-32

Ochu, E. (2018) The Dream Life of Digital: in search of lost purpose. In: J. Condie and C. Costa (Eds). Doing research in and on the digital: research methods across fields of inquiry. Routledge (in press)